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Size

Cedar just came back from her last puppy vac visit at the vet's. She's 5.1 pounds. I'm curious to know how her size compares to the "average" size for her age. I know that we've recently discussed the full grown size range, but I dont know much about the average size at different puppy stages. My vet does not care for any other cavs (they are not very well known in my area!), and he mentioned that he didnt think she'd get much bigger than 10 pounds. Since he's not as experienced with the breed, I dont know how much to value his prediction. I know the breed standard is a little bigger than that, but then again Cedar may not be standard.

Cedar is just over three months old and weights 5.1 pounds. How is she doing?

NOt sure if this is going to help, but Rupert was 7 1/2lbs at 8 1/2 weeks, but he is quite a large Cavalier, about 10.6 kg {24lb}.

As long as Cedar seems to be about the right weight - her ribs should be lightly covered, so you can still feel them but they're not prominent, and she is full of energy then I wouldn't worry too much.

Hard to tell if you don't know the size of the overall litter and size of parents and grandparents. Sounds like she will be smallish, maybe 11-13lbs which is below or at bottom end breed standard of 13-18 lbs; she may well make up for small size and weight though and be a bit larger, if she was part of a large litter or just happened to be a small pup.

Cedar seems to be a healthy weight, according to the tips mentioned by Nicki. Cedar certainly doesnt lack energy, either! I will be watching her weight closely, as I certainly dont want her to get too heavy for her size.

I believe Cedar's litter had a total of 4 pups. I did see both of the parents, but I'm terrible at estimating weight, especially with the cav coat. The female was smaller than the male; neither looked extremely large or small--just average.

Cedar's diet is mostly her dry food. She eats NutriSource Puppy formula. This is the food she was fed with her breeder, and since it seemed to work with her, we've continued to use it. Cedar gets carrots for treats. I know that a lot has been said on the site about diets, and it seems that many on the board are supporters of preparing their dog's food themselves. I may have to work up to that sort of diet, but are there any suggestions of other foods that I might use to supplement her commercial dry food to give her a healthier diet?

At three months, Scarlett was about that size, but then she had a growth spurt and jumped up to 9 lbs almost over night. I thought she was going to be huge, but the growth has slowed down quite a bit and she is hanging around 10.5 lbs at 8 months. So, I think they are like kids. You really can't tell how big they will be until you see what their growth pattern is going to be. Isn't three months a cute age/stage?

I rarely give straight dry food on the days when I feed dry. I sometimes add half a tin of sardines (if in brine drain the brine as that's a lot of salt); sometimes half a small banana, or some frozen peas, or mixed frozen veg, slightly thawed; or finely grated carrot, zucchini (courgette), diced bell pepper, bits of pear or apple (no seeds), fresh berries, a bit of fresh meat like boiled chicken or minced beef (drain off the fat). Maybe some leftovers depending. Cooked veg too.

My two love bell pepper slices as treats and they are kind of nice for dog breath!

Dried tripe is smelly but they are mad for it -- a very healthy treat but then decrease food accordingly as you should with any treats, though veggies/fruit are pretty low cal.

If the vet is happy with her weight I wouldn't worry; it is more important that she's a healthy puppy than any particular size; she is going to be whatever size she is going to be! They definitely grow in sudden spurts after initially adding steady weight. They can fill out still up til 18 months and sometimes longer. Mine are both slow developers -- Jaspar is only now losing his puppy coat at two years!! but he has been the same weight for 6 months or more now.

www.sitstay.com sells some really nice/healthy treats but they can be expensive! I think mine are just as happy with a bit of crunchy bell pepper as they are with salmon jerky, or other quite costly things... I think a lot of those treats are more for the people than the dogs... mine got more excited about a rotting piece of fish that fell from someone's trash and has been lying in the street the last couple of days than they do about any of the upmarket treats in nice packages... Oh the joys of urban living.

Looking at this list of fruits and veg you've provided, I am once again reminded that I dont feed myself very well! I dont buy any of those things regularly; even the raw carrots I have I bought specifically for Cedar. I dont even know if we can buy Sardines around here; they are probably high dollar items (Kansas is landlocked; any fish, even canned, is expensive!). Maybe if I get some veggies for Cedar, I will be more likely to eat them myself?? Maybe? (I still havent eaten a single carrot.... so i doubt that I'd take better care of me!) I will pick up some frozen veggies and mix them in with the food. I assume that I will have to cut back on the volume of food so that she can eat it all? I'll let you know how it goes!

MGMom--Yes, Cedar is certainly at a cute stage. she's no longer the sweet little fluff ball who wants to cuddle. She's now more gangly and awkward. Her fur is changing, so it looks like a bad haircut even though I havent trimmed her at all. Her legs are growing long, and her body is lengthening, but her head is still as cute as a button. She is always on the go, and she loves to meet new people. Her most recent obsession is trying to chew on her rabies tag that hands from her collar. She looks like she's having a seizure as she tries to bite it! I'll have to make several trips to the vets (to use their scale) to see if she goes through any growth spurts. I think she's changed a lot in the last two weeks, so she might be in the middle of one right now! Time will tell. I am already feeling sad that she's growing up so quickly!